Taekwondo
The martial art taekwondo may be built around the very simple, very low-tech premise of being better at kicking your opponent, but the sport is getting a decidedly high tech upgrade.
At this year’s Olympics the sport added some high-tech head gear that makes it better to more accurately score and judge when someone’s received a kick to the noggin.
Sarah wrote about this for Asian World Of Martial Arts.
To read the story go here.
Filed under Jock Stuff, Shameless Promotion
Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future
Back in the late 1980s there was a post-apocalyptic sci fi kids show called Captain Power And The Soldiers Of The Future.
The show had a fascinating merchandise tie-in — the toys could be used to get into “interactive” laser battles with the television program.
The thing about that though: the toys were really expensive and the particularly heavy and dark storyline behind the show weren’t exactly kid-friendly.
Sarah wrote about all this in a new feature for The A.V. Club.
To read it click here.
Filed under Culture, Recollections, Shameless Promotion, Television
Things got intergalactic when Oresund Space Collective performed.
Last week Team Risky Fuel went on an adventure to Las Vegas to attend the mindbending stoner rock festival Psycho Fest, being held at the Hard Rock Casino.
We watched four days of doom-y and psych-y rock, executed a few Vegas lifehacks and took in the following bands:
Thursday, August 25
Mothership @ Paradise Pool
Mac Sabbath @ Paradise Pool
Mudhoney @ Paradise Pool
Friday, August 26
Black Heart Procession @ The Joint
Yob @ The Joint
Wovenhand @ The Joint
Down @ The Joint
Beelzefuzz @ Vinyl
Drive Like Jehu @ The Joint
Brian Posehn @ The Joint
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown @ The Joint
Saturday, August 27
Has A Shadow @ Vinyl
The Budos Band @ The Joint
A Place To Bury Strangers @ The Joint
Beezlebong @ Vinyl
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats @ The Joint
Blue Oyster Cult @ The Joint
Sunday, August 28
Oresund Space Collective @ Vinyl
Truth And Janey @ The Joint
Danava @ The Joint
Hornss @ Vinyl
Fu Manchu @ The Joint
Candlemass @ The Joint
Fireball Ministry @ Paradise Pool
Tales Of Murder & Dust @ Paradise Pool
Alice Cooper @ The Joint
I wrote about our travels for AUX TV. To read about all the best and/or weirdest bits (Mac Sabbath, the Black Sabbath McDonald’s-themed parody band!) in handy itemized list form, click here.
Because AUX.TV is RIP this feature can now be found HERE.
Arthur Brown performs “Fire”
Filed under Concerts, Music, Shameless Promotion, The Misadventures Of, Travel
Idris Elba
Idris Elba, titular magnetic star of the cop show Luther, business-minded gangster in crime epic The Wire, and somewhat awkward puzzle piece in the Thor movie franchise, is trying to become a professional kickboxer.
At age 44.
Sarah spoke to Elba’s coach Kieran Keddle about the actor’s training progress in a feature for Fightland.
Keddle says Elba’s legit.
To read the full story click here.
Filed under Films, Health, Jock Stuff, Shameless Promotion, Television
Dan Boeckner
At this point it’s pretty clear Dan Boeckner is one of the coolest dudes in the indie rock music world.
Not only is he in the reunited Wolf Parade and was one-half of the RIP Handsome Furs, his newest band Operators are pretty rippin’ in their own right.
I spoke to Boeckner about all these things and more in a feature for SOCAN’s Words & Music magazine.
To read the feature click here.
Filed under Music, Shameless Promotion
I Overcame My Autism And All I Got Was This Lousy Anxiety Disorder: A Memoir
Risky Fuel 